[Opinion] Romanticism, Realism and Nihilism

The 19th Century was the age of romanticism. French painter Courbet, who is known for realistic works such as `Burial in Ornang,` once said, ˝Have you ever seen God? You’d better draw images of your father.˝ By saying this, he criticized that imagining an incorporeal figure like God is of little help in looking at things objectively. In contrast, romanticists criticized classicism, urging people to pursue true humanity. Therefore, they emphasized individual identity, uniqueness and creativity. The 19th century also witnessed nihilism, which believes no such things like truth, morality and value. This philosophy was, then, spreading rapidly in the early 20th Century through Dostoevskii.

▷These ideas of romanticism, realism and nihilism become quite interesting when people gather together and discuss life. If you want to play a part in this world, then you should be a realist. Unless you deal with problems you are facing coldheartedly, you will lose your chances. If you wish to work for something bigger and meaningful, you must be a romanticist. You need to see things in a different angle and sometimes even see them upside down. But you must be a realist first to become a true romanticist. Otherwise, you will end up being a dreamer. In the meantime, you need to continue trying to be fulfilled inside. Nihilists are not interested in fulfilling so they escape from the reality. It’s because they can’t handle the reality with their empty feelings inside. They often say, `I don’t care. What will be will be.`

▷In October last year, Barry Bonds hit the record 73rd homerun in the American professional baseball league. Then, a dispute broke out between two fans while they were trying to catch the historic ball. Both of the men argued that the ball is his. Allics Popobe first caught the homerun ball but missed it pushed by the crowed. Then Patrick Hayashi picked the dropped ball. From a realistic perspective, the ball must be either Popobe’s or Hayashi’s since a single party can claim ownership for a certain thing, realistically speaking.

▷The supreme court of San Francisco, however, ruled that the ball is for both of the men, but at the same time they own the ball separately. ˝Sell the ball and split the money in half,˝ ruled the justice in the case. Judging from his ruling, he must be a romanticist. He seems to have an ability to see things in a different way. What if he were a nihilist? He must have said, `I will hold a ruling since the ball was originally pitched by Park Chan-ho.”

Kim Gi-hong, Guest Editorial Writer, Senior Researcher at the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade, gkim@kiet.re.kr